God’s blessings have been tremendously abundant the past few weeks and I am truthfully humbled by our Lord’s grace and generosity toward me. I have been struggling with how or why God would trust me with such a plentiful harvest after failing to manage wealth so many times before.

Then I am reminded of the parable of the Talents.

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:14-30)

This parable clearly explains that we are responsible to multiply our God given wealth. Jesus also tells us that those who refrain from investing in the kingdom of God will be cast out into Hell. This scripture is not only for the rich, it is also for the poor as it involves more than money. God’s blessings include skills, actual talents and most importantly, opportunity. To bear fruit and reap a harvest, one must spend time in the mission field. The bible tells us no one will be rewarded for lack of effort.

Understanding the motivation behind one’s efforts is key to earning God’s rewards. As told by Jesus in the parable above, those who multiply the Lord’s investment will be rewarded with more. It is important we remember that it is our Lord’s wealth we must strive to increase rather than our own. Those looking to increase their own wealth are in grave danger of losing the greatest reward ever offered to man, eternal life in the kingdom of God.

I am curious as to what drives each one of you as you are entrusted by God to multiply His wealth. Where is your heart? What are your interests? Your passions? What do you spend your money on? Are you reaping a harvest pleasing to God?

There is a proven method to ensure your motivation is in tune with God’s heart. The details can be found in the bible. “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:34-40)

Feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, love your neighbor as Jesus did. Resist temptation, greed, lust and sin. Honor God in all you do with everything that you are. Put God first in your life and keep His commandments.

What’s the penalty for those who do not invest in God’s kingdom? Eternity in hell. Jesus described God’s wrath upon those who walk a selfish path. “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:41-45)

The choice is yours. You either serve God willingly or suffer the grave consequences of serving the fallen angel. Be certain you are investing your Talents wisely so your harvest is pleasing to God. Immerse yourself in God’s word and apply it daily. Take steps toward humility, generosity and love and you will reap rewards beyond your own understanding. Let’s pray!

Father God;
We praise you for your Grace and for your blessings in our lives
For your guidance, your patience and for your ever present love,
We ask you to soften our hearts and keep us from temptation
As we face hatred, lust, greed and the things of this world.

Lord we pray that you will continue to look after us
And provide for us all we need in this life,
We pray that you will spread your light onto our friends,
Our families and all those who seek you.

God we ask that you put us to work for you
And allow us to multiply all that you gave us
So that your kingdom can be filled
With abundant love for all eternity.

Verse of the Day

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13Public Domain. Powered by BibleGateway.com.